


It's Miki

by J_P_Lupine



Category: The Gates
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Exophilia, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hybrids, Monsters, Romance, Succubus, Teratophilia, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2020-07-08 22:55:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19877434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_P_Lupine/pseuds/J_P_Lupine
Summary: Moving to a gated community was supposed to be a good thing, and it was for the most part, but there's things Miki discovers that aren't as they seem.  For one thing, not everyone she sees in this little town is even human.





	1. Gate 1

Sitting in the backseat with headphones covering my ears, I watched the scenery pass by as music drowned out any sound. My ears had always been rather sensitive, so I had to keep the volume down unless I wanted a headache later on.

Charlie and Dana were in the seats next to me with Dana in the middle and Charlie and I next to the windows. The back was filled with suitcases- one for each of us, including one for our mom and dad. The rest of our belongings and furniture had been sent ahead in a large moving truck.

Upon arrival to the gated community not very creatively named, my eyes wandered over the large, intimidating gate. There where brick pillars and a thick entrance gate that had the name of the community across the bars. A security guard was talking to Mom and Dad already, but I couldn't hear what they were saying due to the music in my ears.

The guard handed over a packet and a small ring of keys while smiling and seeming overall friendly. I guess that was a good sign, but he hadn't even checked for I.D. Dad was definitely not going to be- _'Oh, there it is.'_ I thought while watching Dad hold out his I.D. From the look on the guard's face, he was being corrected on the mistake.

Then, Mom being Mom, sweetly spoke to the guard and seemed to cheer him up in the slightest with whatever she had said. The guard then went into the brick building next to the gate and opened the entrance. Passing through those large, black bars gave me an odd feeling, but I chalked it up to the fact that we were literally moving into a giant fence like pets in a ginormous backyard.

As we drove through the well paved streets, I began to see people the further in we went. There were even little shops and I saw Dana's lips moving from the corner of my eye and assumed she had made a comment about what was outside the vehicle. There were so many people and I could hardly believe just how much everything seemed to be....alive.

The grass was so green and everything was so vibrant in color. Every house we came across was at least two stories high and I wondered if our new house was going to be just as nice.

My answer soon came when we pulled into a driveway where a truck was being unloaded by the guys that had packed it all up. They were taking in boxes and carrying the furniture into the house.

Getting out of the car, my mouth literally hung open as I craned my neck to see the roof. The house in itself was gorgeous, but the yard was just as beautiful. It was all almost too good to be true and I actually pinched myself. It was all real.

Following everyone inside, I looked in awe at the polished floor and high ceiling. The wallpaper and colors of everything was perfectly matched with everything and there seemed to be even more as Charlie and Dana ran through the house. Walking after them, I was struck by a shock of joy.

There was a pool.

A freaking pool!

I mean, the house alone was wonderful, but a pool, too? God, everyone that knew me knew I loved to swim, and now that I could do it for free whenever I wanted I felt like I was in heaven. The first thing I was going to do after school was definitely going to be unpacking my swimsuit.

~

Pulling up to the Gates Academy, I climbed out of the vehicle along with Charlie and Dana. Dad was already dressed in his uniform and was looking at us with a half smile.

"How bad could this be?" He asked. "No graffiti, no metal detectors. Huh?" He waved a hand while standing in the middle of us all. "You have everything?"

"Sends more kids to the Ivy League than any school in the state." Dana smiled. I guess this was going to be her slice of heaven. "See you, Dad."

"Love you." Dad called as the youngest Monohan walked off. "Keep an open mind?" He then looked to Charlie.

"Yeah."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"All right. And you, keep your chin up." Dad added while raising my face. "Don't be afraid to be yourself, okay?"

"Okay." I nodded with a smile. " _'The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.'_ " I quoted more for his benefit than my own.

"That's it." Dad replied with a smile. "Have fun. I'll see you later." Waving goodbye, I followed after Charlie towards the school.

"All right, if you get into any trouble, find me, understand?" Charlie said as he was walking beside me. Unfamiliar faces were passing us by, barely even taking notice of us as I glanced up at my brother.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" I smirked.

"Very funny." He replied with heavy sarcasm while giving me a look. In return, I gave him a huge, cheesy grin, causing him to chuckle. "Whatever, just remember to get to class on time." And that was where we parted. Despite being in the same grade, we had almost completely different schedules.

I paused, just standing in the middle of the hallway and my face fell as I glanced around. I didn't know these people that were surrounding me, and these unfamiliar walls were dark and I felt caged. Taking a deep breath, I ran my thumb over the letters on my bracelet. It was an old, thick, plastic bracelet Dana had gotten me when we were still in Chicago that said ' **FEARLESS** ' in deep, red letters.

Walking forward, I headed to class. Successfully finding it, I slipped in among the other students and headed towards an empty seat in the back. Sitting down, I looked around the room and studied the board. Thankfully, they were going over a subject I was familiar with.

Animals.

Sighing with relief, I pulled out my science textbook and waited for class to begin. When the teacher came in and began to drone on about the lesson, I followed along while taking notes in a journal set next to my textbook. My pen danced across the thin, blue, printed lines and my spidery handwriting was hardly legible, but at least I knew what I was writing.

I hardly noticed when the classroom had gone silent until a hand tapped on my desk. Jerking my head up, I saw the teacher looking down at me.

"I see that you are diligently taking notes, Miss, but I need you to also pay attention to what I am saying." He glanced at my notebook before returning his gaze to me. "I asked if you could tell me about the evolution of the common dog."

"I can." I replied shortly, feeling trapped as everyone was staring at me.

"Then, why don't you?" The teacher raised a brow, causing a few students to snicker and giggle.

"To be technical," I cleared my throat. "the 'common dog', as you said, may not even exist if man hadn't intervened. In all reality, dogs are a man-made creature through the selective breeding and training of wolves. For example, to get a canine specific for strength or speed, they would breed the strongest with the strongest or the fastest with the fastest. Dogs are a byproduct of wolf domestication and this system of breeding, therefore their evolution was heavily dependent on early and even modern man." The hushed silence that followed was nearly deafening until the teacher finally spoke.

"Not what I was looking for, but it'll work." He cleared his throat while walking away. "As she said, dogs evolved from wolves, hence the many similarities between the two species." And the lesson continued while I felt completely and utterly deflated. God, all of those people staring at me was just too much, let alone having to speak up in front of them....

~

"Miki!" My eyes rose to look at who had called my name.

"What?" I replied, watching as my brother walked up to me with a big smile as I stopped in the hallway.

"I've been invited to a certain something after school, you okay with that?" He asked.

"And this ' _thing_ ', mind telling me what it is?" I raised a brow while observing him.

"A club I'm thinking of checking out."

"Because a girl asked you, right?" His expression made me chuckle, and I nodded. "Sure, but I wanna see it, too."

"Fine, but you gotta keep quiet, okay?"

"Quiet is my middle name." Smiling, we said our brief goodbyes and continued to our next classes.

After school, I walked with Charlie and Dana by the football field while the team was in the middle of practice. The sun was high and bright and the grass was so green, not to mention the strange, but oddly nice, smell in the air.

"You know, this move would be a lot easier on all of us if you were a football star." Dana piped up while briefly looking at Charlie. I could hear the whistle the coach was blowing and the clashing of the pads and helmets on the field.

"Doesn't seem so hard on you."

"Are you really that slow?" Dana gave him a look. "I'm masking my true feelings with enthusiasm, so Dad doesn't feel so bad. You should try it."

"Dana: 1 Charlie: 0." I popped off.

"Oh, hush." Charlie waved a hand at me as we neared a redhead rolling paint onto some wooden boards.

"You're late." She sighed.

"How can I be late when I haven't even joined?" Charlie replied.

"Ah, answering a question with a question. You're a natural." She nodded while placing a hand onto her hip.

"I don't mean to rain on your parade or anything," He began as I leaned on the fence separating the stands from the field. Watching the practice, I studied the movement of the players. I'd probably use them as a reference or something when I was drawing.... "but it kind of looks like an interrogation room."

"Yeah, that's, uh, kind of the point." She replied and I began to ignore their conversation as Dana pointed something out.

"How much do you want to bet this team is better than our old one?" She asked.

"I refuse to make bets with you, I've learned my lesson." I chuckled. "You usually choose the right side without giving me a chance."

"Come on, just do it." Dana nudged me with her elbow. "We can determine who's better by their winning and losing history."

"Nope, not this time." Shaking my head, I crossed my arms while watching the players. "I can already tell this team is better."

"Oh, yeah? How so?" My little sister raised a brow while leaning on the fence next to me.

"Listen." I stated. "Every command the coach gives, they follow. Watch how they work together. Even if this is practice, you can still see the experience and power these guys have."

"You only know that because of all the practices you've watched." She huffed. "Why do you like football so much?"

"I don't, Dana." I chuckled. "What better way to learn how to draw movement than to watch it?"

"You do make a good point." She nodded.

"Of course I do." I smiled. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know what that smell is, would you?" Looking at the brunette girl, she gave me a confused look.

"What smell?"

"That weird, yet pleasant, smell. Kinda earthy, kinda sweet, maybe a little-" I stopped while looking at her expression. "You really don't smell it?"

"Maybe it's something you ate?"

"No, I only started smelling it when we got out here."

"Well, you are taller. Perhaps I just can't smell it because I'm down here."

"Like a soft air current?"

"Exactly." She nodded. "So, give me a lift and let me see if I can smell it." Dana said while holding out her arms. Carefully picking her up, I held her to about my height.

"Smell it now?" I asked, but before she could answer, I heard a huge crash on the field. Looking around Dana, I saw the coach grabbing a player's helmet before the player quickly left the field. There was another player still on the ground, laying unmoving as others surrounded him. "Well, that's something you don't see every day." I popped off.

~

"Kids were so cool, Dad. I mean, like, three different groups invited me to sit at their table. Seriously." Dana said as we all sat at the dinner table. "Weren't they like that with you, too, Charlie?" She then asked and the two passed a look.

"Yeah. They weren't so bad."

"I got to see the after-effects of a major take-down on the football field." I piped in.

"Well, that's good to hear, guys." Dad chuckled.

"Yeah, and I got this welcoming gift from this woman, Devon, who has this amazing spa on main street." Mom smiled while biting into some bread.

"That's great, sweetie. I don't know if the wife of the police chief should be accepting gifts."

"Well, Nick, sometimes people just give gifts, and they don't expect anything in return." Mom replied. "Like this lasagna, that I don't hear you complaining about, was a gift from our neighbor Claire."

"Claire Radcliff?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Well, I interviewed her today for a case I'm working on."

"Well, I think she's great. She couldn't have been more pleasant."

"I thought the same until her husband started answering questions for her." Charlie, Dana, and I all exchanged looks, quietly listening to what Mom and Dad were saying.

"And that makes them suspects?" Mom questioned.

"No." Dad replied. "It does make me suspicious."

~

"Hey, Charlie, what should I be expecting in English class?" I asked while walking next to my brother. "Impending doom? Or certain death?"

"Hmm, I'd say more impending doom." Charlie nodded as we turned the corner.

"And how's the math looking?"

"Doormat to the apocalypse." I replied while Charlie chuckled. Fixing my backpack on my shoulders, I sighed. "But I guess this school isn't that bad, though."

"Oh, and what makes you say that? Make any friends?"

"No, more like people leave me be. I can actually think without being crowded- except for the teachers. They seem to like making me feel like a caged animal."

"Well, maybe if you didn't cover your face with your bangs they wouldn't think you were one." Charlie joked and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"You're just jealous you don't have a glorious mane such as mine!" Striking a pose since the hallway was mostly empty, I put my fists on my hips and stood like a superhero on a comic book cover.

"Mm, I'll pass." He waved a hand at me and he was about to say more, but we heard a crashing sound coming from our right. Glancing over, we saw that the noise was coming from a boy's bathroom. "I'll check it out. You just wait here." Charlie said after we glanced to each other.

"Okay. Shout if you need backup." Shifting on my feet, I watched my brother enter the bathroom. As the door opened, I caught the same smell I had smelt the other day on the football field. Looking around, I checked to see if anyone had opened a door or a window to outside.

Seeing nothing, I just shrugged my shoulders and leaned my back against the wall as I waited for Charlie. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I ran my thumb over my bracelet. It wasn't a lie when I had told my brother about everyone leaving me alone, but what I hadn't told him was that another student within a few of my classes wouldn't stop staring at me.

It was mostly harmless, but the guy was always staring at me whenever I looked up or glanced his way. His expression was usually laced with confusion, so I assumed he was just trying to figure me out. If that was the case, than it wouldn't be the first time. If not, then I had no clue what was running through that guy's head.

When I heard the bathroom door open, I leaned off the wall and was about to ask what happened when I was cut off.

"Char-oof!" Was all that I managed to get out before a body came crashing into me. From the way I fell back, I could already tell it wasn't Charlie. Hissing when I landed hard on my rear, I automatically glared up at whoever it was. "Watch where you're going nex-" And I cut myself off this time.

Standing in front of me was a rather irritated looking guy who didn't seem in the mood for anything. However, that wasn't the reason I cut myself off. No, the reason was that when I looked into his eyes my body just seemed to freeze like a deer in headlights.

His jaw clenched before he cleared his throat.

"Sorry about that." He then held out a hand to help me up, but when he finally actually looked at me, he seemed to tense up. Blinking slowly, I had to make sure what I was seeing wasn't just some fantasy because- without a doubt- this boy was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

His jawline and cheekbones were godly, his freckles were like stars across his nose and cheeks, his shoulders were broad and strong, and his eyes.... God, his eyes were like two pools of crystal, pristine water with how blue they were. And his voice, though edged with irritation, was smooth.

"Um, no, it's okay...." I managed to mumble out. "I guess it's just as much my fault as it is yours." Taking his hand, he pulled me to my feet. His hands were large and strong, feeling as if he wasn't a foreigner to hard work.

"Are you new here?" He questioned, his eyebrows slightly furrowing.

"Uh, yeah. My family and I moved here the other day." Looking down at the ground, I brushed my thumb across my bracelet. "Do....do you play any sports?"

"Yeah," He said after clearing his throat. "football. Why? Are you interested in sports?"

"Oh, no." Shaking my head, I unconsciously tilted my head down to where my bangs covered more of my face. "This might sound weird, but I was just asking because your hands are kinda rough. Plus, judging by what age group you're in, it's more likely that you play a sport rather than do manual labor."

"....I see."

"Hey, Miki, you would not believe what-" And Charlie came around the corner, stopping when he saw the guy standing in front of me.

"I gotta go." I quickly said before grabbing my brother's sleeve and dragging him away.

"Hey, wait! What was that about? Did he say something to you?" Charlie asked.

"Uh, no, we just bumped into each other. But if you don't hurry, we'll be late to class." I told him without looking back.

~

Walking to my locker after class, I was busy shuffling my papers into order while placing them into a folder. Clicking my tongue, I managed to juggle the papers into one arm and the folder into the other to where I could better put them into order.

"Oh, come on." I sighed as everything fell from my arms when someone bumped into my shoulder.

"Oh, sorry." A male's voice came from my side. "I didn't see you, are you okay?"

"Fine." My jaw clenched as I bent over to pick up my things.

"Here, let me help." And another set of hands entered my vision as I grabbed the folder. Glancing to see the guy, I momentarily paused. It just so happened to be the dude that was always staring at me.... Great.

"You draw these?" He asked while looking down at the papers as he piled them up. Other students just walked around us as if nothing was happening and I was thankful for that.

"Yeah." I replied.

"They're good." He smiled while handing over what he had collected as we stood up.

"Thanks." Placing the drawings into the folder, I glanced up at the guy again. He had long-ish dirty blond hair and was taller than me as well.

"Lukas." He stated while holding out his hand. "Lukas Ford. And you?" Looking at his hand, I hesitantly shook it.

"Miki."

"Miki, huh? Miki Monohan?"

"No."

"Aren't you Charlie's sister?"

"Yeah." _'So that's how he knew the last name.'_ I thought with relief. "I'm adopted, but my last name is Kiyiya."

"So, the drawings- is that what you're always doing?" He then asked.

"Excuse me?" I questioned, feeling my grip on the folder tighten.

"Well, whenever I see you, you're always doing something with a pen or pencil and I doubted you were taking so many notes." He chuckled. _'So that's why he was always staring! Oh, thank God!'_ My mind sighed with relief.

"Uh, yeah. Pretty much."

"So, you going to the fair?"

"No." I replied. _'Why the Hell is he still talking to me? Why the Hell is he asking me about the fair?'_

"Why not? Isn't your family going?" He smiled. "There will be food stalls and fun rides."

"I don't really like crowds."

"Okay, how about this," He continued, throwing an arm over my shoulder while walking in the direction I had been heading. "you go to the fair, ride a few rides, eat some junk food, play a few games, and if you didn't have any fun at all, I'll be your grunt for a week."

"And why would you do that?" I questioned, keeping myself from shoving the guy away from me.

"Because a cute girl like you shouldn't look so sour. It's _The Gates,_ there are some good things here." He then let me go and smiled. "So, try it out. You might even make a few friends." He then walked off, leaving me dumbstruck. It wasn't often that a random guy talked to me, and it was rare as a blue moon for one to call me cute....

~

At the fair, I wandered from stall to stall and booth to booth, seeing if anything caught my eye. I could hardly fathom why I had ended up coming, but something Lukas had said had sparked some curiosity in me.

My mouth began to water as a sweet smell filled my nostrils. It wasn't like a pastry kind of sweet, but more of a mellow kind of sweet. There was a slight hint of smoke and some type of wood, and I followed my nose to a food stall. I could see various cuts of meat and there were different levels of how cooked they were.

"Excuse me, but what is that?" I asked the man running the stall.

"Venison." He replied with a smile. "Hunted it myself, so everything is fresh."

"Venison?" I looked around at everything. "....Is it good?" I questioned.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Another voice came from beside me and my eyes nearly popped out of my head from shock when I saw who it was. _It was the freaking gorgeous dude from school and he was even smiling._ He then exchanged a look with the guy at the stall before pulling a wallet from his pocket. Grabbing a few bills, he handed it to the guy who in return handed him two plates.

"Here, my treat. As an apology for running into you." He said while holding a plate out to me.

"Uh, thanks. But it was more 'we ran into each other', though." I replied while taking the plate. My eyes dropped to the ground, unable to continue to look at those blue eyes without blatantly staring.

"Then you can buy the cotton-candy." He nonchalantly said. "But for now, try the meat." Biting my bottom lip while looking at the meat, I hesitated. "Go on, it's not going to bite." He chuckled.

"I know that." I shot him a look before biting into the cooked deer. Juice oozed out as my teeth sunk into the venison and the flavor of it quickly coated my tongue. "Oh, my God...." My voice came out quiet, and the blue-eyed beauty in front of me chuckled.

"See? It's good."

"I might have to buy you more than just cotton-candy- this is amazing. I've only ever had chicken, pork, beef, and turkey, and this trumps all of those."

"That's because anything fresh tastes better." The guy at the stall grinned from ear to ear.

"He is right, you know." The boy nodded with a slight smile on his lips. "Come on, let's go find dessert." He jerked his head to the left, gesturing for me to follow him as he walked away. "So, Miki, right?"

"Yeah. Miki Kiyiya." I answered while taking another bite. "I seem to be better known as ' _Charlie's sister'_ , though."

"Why do you have a different last name?" He questioned as we walked past various people and booths.

"I'm adopted." I stated. "I could have changed my last name, but I decided to keep it." Shrugging my shoulders, I looked straight ahead to keep from staring at the guy next to me.

"Why?"

"To remind me of where I come from. Not that it matters, it's more of a 'the name holds power' kind of thing." Crumbling up the plate in my hand, I glanced around for a trashcan. "I'm a Monohan without being a Monohan, and Kiyiya is like a foundation for me." Tossing the plate away, I stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets.

"I get it." He nodded. "You definitely have a different way of thinking." The male then chuckled.

"Oh, the cotton-candy." I pointed out a stall that was selling it. _'Thank Heaven I get an allowance....'_ After buying some of the fluffy sweets, I glanced up at the boy. "So, what made you wanna talk to me again? You could have just ignored me like pretty much everyone else."

"Honestly?" His brows knit together. "I have no idea." And he looked up from the cotton-candy, accidentally locking eyes with me. The feeling of being a deer in headlights struck me again and I couldn't help but get lost in those blue eyes of his.

He was so, so out of my league, but Holy Hell were his eyes enrapturing. I felt as if I couldn't look away at all and he seemed to have stopped blinking.

A small tug on my sleeve seemed to break me out of whatever spell I was under, and I tore my eyes away to look at the child pulling on my sleeve.

"You dropped this, miss." The little girl said while holding up a cellphone.

"Oh, thank you." She smiled before prancing off. _'Geez, if I had lost this, Dad would kill me!'_ I thought. "Uh, I gotta go now." I cleared my throat after stuffing the phone into my pocket. "I promised Dana that I'd win her something."

"Brett." The guy suddenly said as I was walking away.

"What?"

"My name, it's Brett." He softly smiled.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Brett." I said honesty while looking at the ground. Merging into the crowd, I hid my sour expression behind the mound of cotton-candy on the stick I was holding. I knew that guy would never have any interest in me, he was just being nice, so I knew I'd have to stay away from him.

I had just learned his name, but I was already getting lost in those eyes and that smile made my cheeks feel hot.... Not to mention the fluttering feeling in my stomach when he talks.... Any more and I'd be screwed.


	2. Gate 2

"Because he never has a girl to impress." I heard Dana saying as I walked into the kitchen. "That's what I mean about changing behavior, Mom. There's always a reason."

Sitting down next to Dana, I grabbed the glass of orange juice set by the free plate full of food.

"Reason for what?" Dad asked as he walked in.

"Mom won't admit she knows about the case you're working on." My little sister replied, causing Dad to chuckle.

"Because Mom doesn't know. And you, my darling daughter, have broken the cardinal rule." He stated while pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"No cop talk at the table." Charlie grinned.

"And what is the punishment for breaking the cardinal rule?"

"Dishes for a week." Oh, Charlie seemed to love the impending punishment coming our little sister's way.

"That is so not fair." She stated as Dad sat down. "Mom?"

"I will try and get your sentence reduced, but for now, go brush your teeth. You gotta go."

"This is like her 99th strike!"

"Charlie." Mom said with a warning tone.

"We might need to up the punishment- Ow!" Dana punched Charlie's shoulder as she stood up.

"And we need to go to school. Take the bagel." Dad replied.

"I'll be there in a minute. Okay?" Mom said as Charlie grabbed my jacket hood and literally drug me from my plate. Grabbing my toast when it was still in reach, I followed after my brother.

~

"Hey, Miki!" I heard a voice come from my side as I sat outside with my lunch. Looking up, I saw Lukas grinning down at me. "You must get that a lot, huh?"

"Sort of, it's usually just from Charlie or Dana." I shrugged one shoulder while returning my attention to the sandwich in my hands.

"So, the fair? How was it?"

"....Nice." I replied before taking a bite.

"Ah, I knew it! What was your favorite part?"

"The venison."

"So you're a meat eater, huh?" He plopped down next to me while sprawling his legs out and dropping his hands into his lap.

"I guess." Shifting in my spot, I stared down at my sandwich.

"Mm, so, what exactly are you?"

"Excuse me?" I then glanced up at him with a quizzical expression.

"It's fine, you can tell me. This is a safe place." He smiled, but I felt extremely uncomfortable.

"I honestly don't know what you're asking." I said, and he got this face as if he was still trying to coax me into telling him. "But, I've got to go, I just remembered that I have to do something." His smile fell as I rose to my feet, and I felt the eyes of a predator on me as I walked away.

There was definitely something off about that boy, but I hadn't the slightest idea as to what it was. Eating the rest of my lunch as I walked, I looked around for nothing in particular and just enjoyed the scenery.

~

Chewing on my cheek as I was walking towards my locker, I wondered whether I should swim or draw when I got home. It was such a simple decision to make, but since I liked very few things, deciding what to do was somewhat difficult. On one hand, I could swim until dinner. On the other hand, I could draw. _'Oh, I could even do both, but which one should I do first?'_

Sighing, I shook my head. A small smile pulled at the corners of my lips. It had been a long while since I had such a meaningless dilemma without my mind being clouded by stress and various thoughts.

My head suddenly jerked up when I heard a crash against the lockers. My eyes widened and my muscles tensed as I saw Lukas holding Charlie up against the lockers.

"My dad didn't kill anybody." I heard the blond talking. "But from what I know.... _yours_ did. Read all about it online." I frantically looked around for a teacher, but the hall was nearly completely empty. "But what I don't get, if it really was self-defense....why'd he lose his job?" Charlie's jaw was clenched as he silently glared at Lukas. "Oh, I know." He then scoffed. "It's 'cause he murdered the guy." And Charlie lost it, going to hit the blond. Lukas dodged, causing Charlie to hit the other wall before he grabbed him and threw him against the lockers.

Without even thinking, I ran towards them and straight up drop-kicked Lukas. Charlie's feet hit the ground before my rear did, and Lukas shot up with a deadly glare.

"You?" He growled, looking slightly confused while holding a hand over his ribs. Quickly getting to my feet, I locked eyes with the blond. Swallowing, I shrugged my backpack off before tossing it to the side.

"Miki!" Charlie sounded surprised. "Come on, you've gone this long without fighting!" He added in a hushed tone, trying to get me to back down. But for some odd reason as Lukas stood a few feet from me, looking ready to fight, I felt a surge of adrenaline shoot through my system and it seemed as if it were two animals about to face off rather than Lukas and I.

His lip and nose were twitching as if he was trying to keep from snarling. Flexing my hands, my knuckles quietly popped. It felt like whoever made the first move would cause a storm to attack.

"Lukas!" Another person came running up, pulling Lukas back from the deadly stand-off that seemed to be taking place. "Lukas. Stop." And it was Brett who was holding onto the struggling blond. His blue eyes went past me, more than likely looking at a teacher that was now standing there. "We're good. It's fine." He nodded.

I heard a door close behind me just as Charlie grabbed my arm as if to keep me from still going after Lukas. Suddenly, the blond pinned Brett by the throat to the lockers and growled out a warning.

"Stay out of it!" And he walked away after shooting Charlie and I a look. There was a tense silence in the air as I sighed and picked up my backpack. Slinging it over my shoulder, I glanced up to see Charlie and Brett exchanging dangerous looks. ' _Did something happen between those two?'_ I mentally questioned.

Then, Brett looked away before speaking.

"Don't ever do that again, Miki. Lukas is not against fighting a girl." And he walked off without another word.

"I won't mention this to Dad if you don't." Charlie mumbled.

Before moving to _The Gates_ , I actually had a history with fighting in school. I, myself, never initiated the fights, but I always finished them. Whether it be someone picking on Dana or Charlie or even myself, my fuse always shortened when violence was involved. I was always quick to snap whenever I saw someone acting as a threat to my siblings, but it took actually being hit for me to react when it was myself being bullied.

"Deal." I mumbled.

~

"What exactly happened with Lukas?" A hushed voice came from my side. Looking up, I saw Brett walking next to me without actually looking at me. "He won't say anything about it."

"You mean, how did tiny me get into a stand-off with him and Charlie in the middle?" I questioned, slipping my hands into my front jean pockets.

"Yeah, pretty much." He cleared his throat while dodging a person to keep from running into them. The day was pretty much over, and I chewed on my bottom lip before answering.

"I'm not quite sure myself." I replied. "I was heading to my locker when I saw Lukas and Charlie, but I just sort of lost control when he slammed my brother against the lockers. Next thing I know, I'm drop-kicking him and feeling as if I'm challenging the Alpha." Brett seemed to choke as he sputtered out a quick question.

"And what makes you say that?"

"He is top dog, isn't he? It seems like no one wants to mess with him." I replied.

"Oh."

"So, now that you have your answer, why are you still walking with me?" I questioned.

"Do you hate me or something?"

"What? No!" I quickly said while looking at the blue-eyed boy. "Of course not, it's just...." And my voice trailed off as I lowered my head and raised my shoulders.

"Just?"

"People like you just don't talk to me." Answering bluntly, I balled my hands into fists in my pockets.

"People like me?"

"Yeah.... Nice people. Bright people, happy people, people with a life. You know, people like you." Tilting my head, I tried to better explain myself. "I don't mean to be rude, but I guess I'm saying that normal people just don't talk to me unless they have to."

"Well," Brett began while leaning down. "good thing I'm not normal then." He said lowly. Looking at him, I saw him giving a soft smile and felt my heart skip. _'Oh, god....this isn't good....'_ I thought, quickly looking away and pretty much hiding behind my bangs.

"Heh, sure. You can't possibly be normal if you're interacting with me of your own free will."

"Maybe I'm just not blind to the type of person you are?" He shrugged while standing up all of the way.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I questioned, feeling my muscles tense. Could he tell I was actually pretty violent?

"Mm, I saw you standing up to Lukas, something people even my size are terrified to do, and you didn't even look scared at all." He waved a hand while smirking. "And from what you said, it was all because of your brother. You obviously love your family, so there's that as well." He continued and it felt like my face might be on fire. I was absolutely not used to compliments like these.

"No offense, but you don't even know me. I'm not what you think."

"Is that so?" The tone in his voice made me look back up at him. "Then I guess you'll just have to prove me wrong. See you tomorrow." He grinned, splitting off while pushing open a door to outside. "Bye, Miki." He softly waved before turning away.

"Bye...." I managed to quietly say. Apparently, as long as I didn't look him in the eye, I wouldn't get bewitched by that gaze of his.


	3. Gate 3

Laying on my bed while staring straight at the ceiling, I was in yet another difficult dilemma. Apparently, the girl that Charlie was interested in was that redhead named Andie, who also just so happened to be Brett's girlfriend.

The problem, however, didn't just involve Charlie and Andie and Brett, but myself included. From the brief conversations in passing that Brett and I had had, I came to obtain the blood boiling knowledge that I, Miki Kiyiya, was captivated and drawn to Brett like a bee to a flower.

Despite all of my self-warnings and telling myself not to see that blue eyed boy as anything more than a friend, the next thing I knew I was already head-over-heels and I wasn't even sure why. I mean, sure, he was kind and sweet, but why was I so drawn to him?

Groaning, I rolled over onto my stomach and buried my head into my pillow. It wasn't like I had even the slightest chance with him- he was, well....him, and I was me, plus the simple fact that he had a GIRLFRIEND! Sighing with irritation, I furrowed my brows together.

_'What the Hell am I supposed to do....'_ I thought. _'Pining over a hot boy is so cliche! I am definitely not okay with this!'_ Sitting up, I crawled across my bed towards the window and nearly threw it open. Hanging my head out, I took deep breaths and looked to the moon. It's pale light illuminated the surrounding trees and foliage, making the outside world seem so calm and quiet.

Breathing in through my nose, I sighed out of my mouth. Crossing my arms, I leaned on my windowsill while laying across my bed.

"I wish I could just stay here...." I mumbled, looking up at the big, round, pale moon. _'I don't have to hide here....'_ Running a hand through my dark copper hair, I chewed on my bottom lip.

"Ow!" I yelped, jerking back from the window as my lip began to throb. Touching it, I hissed from the stinging sensation. "What the...." My voice trailed off, seeing blood on my fingertips. Jumping up, I walked over to the mirror on my dresser and inspected my bottom lip.

Sure enough, there were a few tiny holes where I had bit down. Swallowing, it felt like the room got colder as I pushed back my top lip. My teeth....my teeth weren't human.... They were longer and pointed, looking dauntingly sharp.

Staring at my reflection, I looked at myself in horror as even the bleeding began to stop on my bottom lip. Without my colored contacts in, and the current situation with my teeth, only one thought ran through my head.

_'Monster.'_

~

I kept my head down the next morning, not looking anyone in the face. I had checked my reflection again after the sun had risen- not being able to sleep at all after what I had seen- and saw that the bite and the freakish teeth were gone as if it had all been a dream.

"Miki." Dana caught me before I walked out of the room.

"What?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"I have finally determined what the source of your odd behavior is." She smiled while tossing her backpack onto her shoulders.

"Odd behavior?" Dad raised an eyebrow while looking over his mug.

"Yes." Dana nodded. "It was subtle changes, but I've finally figured it out." She then looked me dead in the eye while smiling. "She's got a boyfriend." Dad sputtered on his coffee and Mom went wide-eyed.

"Is that so?" Charlie asked, having this look like he had just been told the most shocking news ever.

"No, that is not so!" I quickly said, feeling my cheeks heat up. "Dana, I don't have a boyfriend." I clearly stated while tightening my grip on my backpack.

"Then you're really into someone. You never wore your ponytail that high before." She shrugged before walking off. Feeling the eyes on me from behind, I followed after the youngest Monohan.

"Dana! Get back here! I am not into someone!"

"You're lying! You're face is all red!"

"Dana! Shut up, you're outside!" Chasing the girl out the door, I completely forgot about the night before.

~

Walking down the hall, I felt as if I was experiencing a bit of deja vu. Why? Well, I was walking past the boy's bathroom when I heard a huge crash. Looking around, I barely saw anyone else in the hall and rolled my eyes.

Knocking on the door, I shifted on my feet.

"Everything okay in there?" There was a quiet pause, then the door swung open.

"Hey, Miki!" Lukas grinned down at me. That odd smell I had been catching every now and then filled my nose again and I had yet to figure out where the Hell it was coming from. "What are you doing here?" He leaned against the doorframe while looking at me.

"I heard a crash." Pointing at the door behind him, he glanced over his shoulder before shrugging.

"Oh, I just tripped. I'm okay though." He nodded and I couldn't help but get this odd, suspicious feeling.

"Okay, then.... Um, good to know you didn't bust your head open." I replied while taking a step back.

"Thanks for your concern, it really means a lot." Lukas nodded his head while I cleared my throat.

"You're welcome...." And then I walked away, glancing over my shoulder once to see him smiling and waving as if nothing had happened.

The day then seemed to pass rather normally. It wasn't until after lunch that I was rudely reminded of last night. I had been walking to my next class when my mouth felt weird and my fingertips were tingling.

My brows slowly knit together as I stopped walking. Glancing down at my hands, I nearly had a heart-attack. Claws, not nails, but freaking _claws_ were growing from my fingertips. Running my tongue over my teeth, I could feel how sharp they were.

Quickly looking around, I saw people getting closer from both ends of the hall and looked for a place to hide. The nearest thing was a supply closet and I hurried into there. Shutting the door behind me, I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

....I could even hear the students walking by outside. I could hear their voices, their heartbeats, their phones going off in their pockets, and their jaws smacking as they were chewing gum. I could hear it all. And despite the janitor's closet being completely dark, I could still see perfectly fine.

"Oh, my God...." I whimpered while falling to my knees. The claws had finally stopped growing, and the teeth in my mouth made my jaws dully ache. "What's happening to me?" Holding my head in my hands, I scrunched my eyes closed. "Okay, it's just a dream.... It's all just a dream...." I told myself while rocking back and forth. "....a dream...."

"....Miki? What are you doing in here?" A voice loudly whispered from behind me. Gasping, I leapt to the furthest corner from the door, hiding myself between the wall and a shelf. "Miki?" Keeping my eyes closed tight, I hid my face in my knees and held my hands against my chest. The door closed, but I heard a quickening heartbeat as footsteps got closer. "Miki, what's wrong?"

"Go away!" I said quickly, trying to curl in on myself and hide what was wrong with me. I could easily recognize the voice and there was no way in Hell I was going to willingly let him of all people see me like this.

"Miki, it's okay, you can tell me." His voice took on a soothing tone. Another thing that I noticed was that the strangely nice smell I'd almost always catch was nearly suffocating me now.

"No! Just go away!"

"Did Lukas do something? Miki, I told you not to get into a fight with him!" He sighed and I flinched when I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

"I said leave!" I nearly shouted while shoving my hand out, trying to push him away. He easily caught my wrist and my blood ran cold. There was a deafening silence that followed, and I was certain he would run out of here screaming.

"Oh, Miki...." Brett sighed, his grip on my wrist slightly tightening. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't I say anything? Why aren't you freaking out?!" Trying to pull my hand back, I turned away from him completely while facing the wall.

"Why would I freak out?" He chuckled. "Look, I'm trying to tell you it's oka-"

"It's not okay! I'm a freaking monster, and you're acting as if I just spilt juice on my pants!"

"You're not a monster." His voice became firm.

"Yes, I am! Look, I have freaking claws, Brett! _Claws!_ " Spreading out my fingers, I made it obvious about what was at the end of each of my fingers. "And if that doesn't convince you, look at my face!"

Whipping my head around to look right at him, I snarled, showing him the teeth. Even in the dark, I could still see every freckle on his face and the firm line his lips were set into.

"You are not a monster." He stated, and his eyes began to glow. My breath caught in my throat as my entire body froze. "You're special." His once blue irises were glowing a pale yellow-ish orange like a wolf's, and he had yet to let go of my wrist.

"....What....what are you?" My voice came out quiet, and Brett looked confused.

"What are you talking about? We're the same thing." He replied, and I could hear his heartbeat slightly pick up pace.

"Brett....I don't even know what I am." He seemed to study my face as his brows furrowed.

"You're being serious.... When did this start happening?" He questioned, holding my hand as he looked at my claws.

"Last night."

"What?!" His head jerked up as he looked at me with wide eyes. "That's impossible! You should have started transforming when you were a kid."

"Transforming?" My entire body tensed at the word.

"Uh, I'll explain everything to you. And you're sure it only started last night?"

"I think I'd remember growing beastly extremities, okay?"

"Okay, okay!" He held up a hand defensively. "Just....you just need to calm down, all right?" Brett raised his eyebrows. "Do you think you can do that? If you're calm, these will go away." He gestured to the claws.

"Calm? How the Hell am I supposed to be calm! I just found out that the only nice guy willing to talk to me isn't human and neither am I, and your eyes are glowing! I have freaking claws and fangs, and you expect me to _calm down?!_ " Brett just chuckled. "You think this is funny?! I'm in a janitor's closet because I sprouted these freaking things in the middle of the hallway!"

"I don't think it's funny," He chuckled. "it's just that you're freaking out so much." He swallowed while smiling, looking back at my hand. "Look, we have to get you calm before someone else comes in here. What did your parents do to calm you down?"

"They'd hug me." I answered honestly, then, realizing what I had said, I waved my free hand. "But I don't think tha-" And I was cut off as Brett pulled me towards him. Wrapping his arms around me, he placed one hand on the back of my head while speaking softly.

"Like this?"

"S-sort of...." I replied, feeling as if my entire face was on fire. He was extremely warm even through all the layers of clothing, and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. "Wait....how'd you even know I was in here?"

"I was walking down the hall and saw you suddenly jump in here. From the look on your face, I assumed something was wrong." He then slightly rose his shoulders. "Guess something really is wrong." Brett added.

"You know you're going to be late to class, right?" I mumbled.

"This is more important than class, okay? We can't let anyone see you like this. Plus, exposure kind of tips the scale when it's put up against a math class."

"That's a good point...."

"After school meet me at the front doors. I can take you to someone who can help you."

"Okay." I replied. "Um....Brett?"

"Yeah?"

"The claws are gone now." Pulling back from the hug, Brett grabbed my hands to inspect them. Then, looking at me, he jerked his head up in a gesture.

"Show me your teeth." Opening my mouth, I waited for the examination to be over. "All right," He sighed with relief. "You seem okay now. I don't know how long that will last, so try to stay calm for the rest of the day, okay?" Nodding, I rose to my feet while watching Brett stand up. "Here, if anything happens, contact me. I can afford to miss a few classes if I have to, so don't hesitate to ask for help." He added when he reached into his pocket to pull out a phone.

Grabbing my own phone, we exchanged phone numbers and carefully snuck out of the janitor's closet. Looking around, we confirmed that the hallway was completely deserted.

"Remember, front doors after school." Brett said again while looking down at me. Holding the straps on my backpack, I nodded.

"And to contact you if anything happens before then."

"Good." And he gave a genuine smile before we had to hurry to class.

Even though the fangs and claws were gone, it seemed my sense of smell was still pretty sensitive since I could still strongly smell that strange scent.

~

After school, I didn't have to wait at all for Brett because he was actually waiting on me. Keeping my head down, I ran my thumb over my bracelet and followed the blue eyed boy as he left school grounds. It was quiet at first, but it seemed as if I could feel the questions in the air.

"So...." Brett began, breaking the silence. "you seriously have no idea what's going on?"

"Not a clue." I mumbled.

"And you don't even know about anything other than humans?" Brett looked over his shoulder, and I could feel his eyes watching me.

"Well, that would come from being abandoned as a child and adopted by a human family."

"Sorry, I didn't-"

"Don't." I cut him off before he could even finish his sentence. "It happens. Whoever my biological parents are, they had their reasons for letting me go. I'm a Monohan now, anyways." Rubbing my arm, I looked off to the side. "Where are we going?"

"To a doctor. She specializes in this sort of thing, so if anyone knows why you're turning so late, it'd be her."

"Yeah, but turning into what, exactly?" I questioned. Brett hummed, stuffing his fists into his letterman jacket before answering.

"There are many names for it, but you'd probably know it as _'werewolf'_."

"Werewo-?" My voice trailed off as I sped up to stand in front of Brett. "A WHAT now?!" His eyes widened, not expecting the outburst from me. "You can't be serious!"

"Well, I am. And for what it's worth, there's also a pack here if you want to be a part of it. It'll fully be your own choice, though, so don't feel pressured."

"Heh....werewolf....pack.... This isn't a dream, is it?"

"No, no it's not. But it's up to you whether that's a good thing or not." Slowly turning away, I ran a hand through my hair.

"Right....glass half-empty or glass half-full...." I murmured while continuing to walk.

By the time we had arrived to where Brett was taking me, I had somehow wrapped my head around the fact that Brett had to be telling the truth about werewolves. I mean, how could he not be? His eyes had glowed and what was happening to me was definitely not something that happens to humans....

"Peg!" Brett called while waving his hand.

"Brett! What brings you here?" A woman replied. "You don't have an appointment scheduled- is everything all right?" Then, I glanced up to see a friendly looking woman in a white coat walking towards us. Her hair was curly and her eyes were dark and kind as she looked between Brett and I.

"Actually, we need your help." Brett said lowly, trying to keep quiet. "Something's going on with her, and I was hoping you'd know what." The woman, Peg, gave me a reassuring smile.

"Well, let's get you back and check it out." She held her hand out to me. "I'm Dr. Mueller, but you can call me Peg if that makes you feel more comfortable." Lightly nodding, I took her hand and shook it. "You came at the right time since I don't have any patients at the moment, so you won't have to worry about waiting or anything." Peg chuckled.

"Okay." I replied lowly.

"So," She opened a door and I entered the room. "what exactly is the problem?" Closing the door behind herself, she crossed her arms while looking right at me.

"Um....I'm actually not quite sure myself...." Rubbing my arm, I glanced at Brett for some help. He caught the look on my face and gave a small nod.

"Miki is just now starting to turn. Apparently, she's gone this long without even knowing werewolves or anything exist." Brett managed to summarize. "And if you haven't heard, she's-"

"The sheriff's daughter. Yes, I've heard." Peg said while looking at me with furrowed brows. "Would you mind if I took a look at you?"

"....If you can figure out what's happening to me, you can even take blood."

"That won't be necessary." She chuckled. "Brett, you'll have to step out for now, okay?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Brett nodded before glancing at me. "Don't worry, Peg is safe. If you get scared or uncomfortable, just tell her and she'll back off."

"I'm not a child, but thanks." I replied, receiving a small grin from the blue-eyed boy before he left the room.

"To begin with, could you give me your full name?" The doctor asked while grabbing the stethoscope around her neck.

"Miki Kiyiya."

"No middle name?"

"No."

"Mm. Now, could you sit on the bed, please?" Looking back, I hopped up onto the examination table covered with that crinkly paper. "I'll need you to take a few deep breaths, all right?" She looked at me while placing the stethoscope to my chest. Nodding, I took a couple of deep breaths as she listened.

"And you are, without a doubt, a werewolf?" She asked while motioning for me to stand up.

"Brett said I was, so I guess I am. I mean, I grew a set of fangs and claws."

"Do you mean like canine fangs? Or just two on the top or two bottom or different entirely?"

"Uh, canine." I replied.

"Take off your jacket, please." She draped the stethoscope around the back of her neck as I shrugged off my jacket. Setting it onto the bed, I watched as she walked behind me and lifted my hair off of my neck and gently pulled my shirt collar down. "When did this start?" She asked while feeling the bones along my spine.

"Yesterday night."

"And you're sure?"

"Fangs and claws aren't really something you forget." I chuckled.

"And your other senses? Hearing, smelling, what about those?" Peg questioned as she grabbed my arm and seemed to check out my joints and muscles.

"Um, actually, my hearing has always been pretty sensitive. I can hardly use headphones, to be honest. Everything else is pretty normal, I guess.... Oh, but since we moved here, I've been catching this weird smell every now and then."

"Weird smell?" She raised a brow, patting the bed for me to take a seat again. Hopping up, I nodded.

"Yeah, it's strange, but kind of nice. It's sort of hard to explain, but it seems like no one else is smelling it."

"Hm, and the Monohan's don't know anything?"

"If they did, I doubt they'd be this calm."

"True." Peg chuckled. "Now, do you have any strange markings, appendages, augmentations, or anything of that sort?"

"Uh, my eyes." I stated as I pointed at my face.

"Would you mind showing me?" Peg asked.

"Could you give me a second?"

"Sure." She nodded, and I jumped down from the table and went over to the sink. Pulling a contacts container from my pocket, I washed my hands. Carefully, I unscrewed the caps on the container and took out my contacts before turning around to face the doctor. "I see."

"Does it have to do with what I am?" I questioned while crossing my arms.

"Actually, yes." Peg replied. "It's not unheard of, but it's not common. You're a half-breed, or a hybrid, so you're not fully a werewolf." She explained while taking a seat. "When a werewolf and a human have children, they usually have something strange about their bodies that isn't exactly normal for a human. In your case, it's your eyes."

"Why?" I asked as my brows furrowed. Leaning on the edge of the sink, I watched as she moved her hands with her speech.

"It's just how the wolf side presents itself. Since hybrids are half and half, the wolf isn't completely hidden. Though, your eye color is something strange for both humans and werewolves since wolves tend to have yellow to orange eyes."

"What else have hybrids been born with?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Um, there's the eye color, hair color, a tail, sharp teeth, all sorts of things. It all depends on the individual." Peg answered. "Hybrids of your kind don't usually turn at all unless...."

"Unless what?" My brows furrowed together as I tried to read her face.

"Well, there are two reasons why a hybrid of a human and werewolf would start presenting more of their wolf attributes. Either the hybrid is undergoing extreme emotional or psychological changes, or they lost their virginity to a full-blooded werewolf." She raised her brows while looking me in the eye. "Have you and Brett recently-"

"No! Oh, God no!" I quickly said while waving my hands as I felt my cheeks burning and Peg chuckled while nodding.

"Okay, then. Has moving here been extremely stressful in any way? Or is there another problem causing your mental turmoil?"

"Another problem." I scratched the back of my head while looking at the floor.

"Well, you don't have to tell me about it unless you want to, but if you don't come to terms with whatever it is, it may cause your biological makeup to become more wolf-like. And by that, I mean you'll actually be able to shift between forms." She added after seeing my expression. "But, until then, I can give you something that will hold off the transforming. Take one every morning after you wake up, and you should be fine." Peg said as she grabbed a piece of paper and began to write something down. "Wouldn't want you turning at school, now, would we?" She chuckled.

"Actually....that's how Brett found out." And she suddenly looked at me with wide-eyes. "B-But no one else saw! As soon as I felt the teeth and saw the claws coming in, I hid in a janitor's closet and that was how Brett found me."

"Are you sure no one else saw?"

"I'm positive."

"All right, then. I should have these done by tomorrow, so just drop by some time after noon." She stated while I put my contacts back in. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to an Alpha about your eyes. He may know more about why they are that color."

"Um....okay. But what should I do until tomorrow?"

"I'd advise that you just relax at home. With your current condition, you wouldn't want to overstimulate yourself or accidentally transform in public." Peg told me before I left. Out in the lobby, I saw Brett sitting down while his knee was bouncing. He was occasionally glancing around until he noticed me walking towards him.

"So," He quickly got to his feet. "how'd it go? Are you okay?" He asked quietly while looking down at me with a concerned expression.

"Uh, yeah." I cleared my throat. "Apparently, I'm just half werewolf. The changing is occurring due to major psychological stress or something like it." I stated. "The late turning is, as it seems, a normal thing for half-breeds like me- if it even happens at all, that is."

"So you're a half-breed? Like, human parent and werewolf parent?" His brows furrowed together.

"Yeah. Exactly." I stated while still trying to let everything sink in myself.

~

Dropping the bags of food down onto a table, I was waiting on Mom to get back and bring in the donuts. We were bringing lunch to the station since everyone was so busy with the recent rise in burglaries, so the police force of Gates were buzzing around, trying to figure out who did it, how, and where the stolen goods were. I wasn't sure about much on the matter since Dad didn't really talk about his job, but I at least knew what I heard at school and the snippets of conversations in the station.

Placing the bags all up-right, some were already being snatched off of the table by hungry cops. They'd ask what was in each at first until they realized each bag had a little tag of what was inside. Turning around to go see what was taking Mom so long, I paused because my nose caught that strange smell again. Glancing around, I couldn't figure out where it was coming from like usual.

Sighing through my nose, I walked towards the front door of the station while glancing to my dad's office. I saw a blonde woman with neat hair, and what looked like a peach colored silk blouse on. From the look on Dad's face, she was being questioned. As I took a few more steps, I stopped in my tracks because of who was sat next to her.

Brett.

Oh, crap, they were getting up to leave! Quickly spinning on my heel, I plopped down on a bench while covering my face with my hood and crossing my arms. I heard my dad's office door open as he bid the two farewell, and to be polite they returned the goodbye. Furrowing my brows, I realized how ridiculous I was being. Why was I even trying to hide from Brett?

Looking over my shoulder, I saw that they were now gone and Mom was walking in with a big box of donuts. Sighing as I rolled my eyes at myself, I pulled myself to my feet and hurried past Mom.

"Miki, where are you-"

"Be right back!" I quickly said as I stepped outside. Spotting Brett as he was getting into a vehicle, I walked quickly so that they wouldn't leave before I got the chance to talk to him. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the window, surprising Brett and the woman inside, possibly his mother. Awkwardly smiling while rubbing the back of my neck, I saw the confused look on his mother's face.

"Hey, um, sorry if the old man gave you a hard time." Brett chuckled while shaking his head.

"No, it's fine. He's just doing his job." The blue-eyed boy replied as his mother was still looking at me with a confused expression. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"Bringing everybody lunch. Dad said it was pretty busy, so Mom and I were helping out." I shrugged while stuffing my hands into my jacket pockets.

"Oh, your father works with the police?" The blonde woman finally spoke up.

"Uh, yeah. Mom, this is Miki, Chief Monohan's daughter." Brett introduced me and her eyes slightly widened as she visibly tensed. "Don't worry, she's safe." He quickly added, seeing his mother's reaction.

"What do you mean she's safe? She knows?!" She hissed while giving him a look.

"Uh, no, ma'am." I waved one of my hands, feeling the tense atmosphere. "Your son helped me out with a problem of mine." Her gaze sharpened on me.

"Mom, Miki's adopted. She's like us." Brett calmly said, but I was feeling rather awkward, so I changed the subject.

"Ah, by the way, do you wanna team up for the English project?" I asked while looking back to Brett and slipping my hand back into my pocket.

"Sure." He nodded with a smile and I felt my stomach clench. "When do you want to work on it?"

"I can text you. I'm kinda busy until....well until Mom doesn't need my help anymore." I chuckled "Bye." I nodded my head while backing from the side of the vehicle.

"Bye." He waved before I turned away.

"The Chief has a wolf daughter?" I heard the mother speak lowly.

"Yup."

"....They don't have a clue, do they?"

"Not at all. That's why I'm helping her." Brett sighed as I was still walking away. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw him looking at me and I smiled with a wave. God, was I screwed when it came to this boy....he had a girlfriend, and to top it off, he wasn't interested in me the way I was him....


	4. Gate 4

Going to school with Charlie, I felt like my brother kept looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"What." I questioned.

"Nothing." He quickly said. Looking at him, I furrowed my brows while narrowing my eyes. "Okay, fine, you caught me." He sighed. "Why are _you_ leaving early?"

"Because I'd have to ride with Dana if I didn't."

"And that's bad, why?"

"She insists I have a secret boyfriend because I'm actually kind of happy." I replied.

"Whoa, hold it, what?" Charlie stopped walking, causing me to roll my eyes as I turned to look at him.

"I, for once, have a friend. Dana is mistaking it as I have a boyfriend, like with you and Andie." The expression on his face changed and it was my turn to raise a brow. "What?"

"Actually....Andie broke up with Brett and we're together now. So, Dana isn't wrong anymore."

"Are you serious?" I paused. _'Oh, no.... Brett must be devastated! I mean, I know how much he loves her....'_

"As a heart-attack. Now, who's your friend?"

~

"Hey, Brett...." I found him in the halls, digging in his locker. He turned around, looking rather pale. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tried to continue, but nothing would come out of my mouth, not even a sound. His usually bright eyes were cloudy, and I felt as if something was off. Did the break up hit him that hard? No, that can't be it. He seemed....nervous? Panicky?

"N-nevermind. I, uh, I'll talk to you about it later." Quickly dropping my gaze to the floor, I walked away before he could say anything. What was I even thinking? It's not like I could help him, I didn't even know how to console someone in such a situation. Not to mention, it looked as if more was going on than just Andie....

~

My phone ringing is what made me slightly jump from the sudden noise. Charlie was at home, sick with what might be mono, and Andie was over to visit. I however, had wandered out and was walking around. It was rather late, but there was no way Dad would successfully drag Dana and I both to that Father & Daughter dance. Answering my phone, I held it near my ear.

"Hello?"

"Miki....are you free to work on that project?" It was Brett. His voice sounded tense, and I stopped under a street light.

"Uh, yeah."

"Good. I'll text you the address." He then hung up and I looked at my phone as I held it. This was going to be awkward.... Quickly heading home to grab my school bag, I snuck past the living room and was out of the house once more in mere minutes. Finding the address Brett texted me through the map app on my phone, I walked up to the large, glass door and knocked on the wooden edges.

The house inside was nearly as dark as outside, but there were a few dim lights on. Waiting on the porch, I had my hands in my pockets and my backpack hung on one shoulder. Seeing movement inside, the door opened and Brett stood there, looking rather stressed and about as tense as he had at school.

"Come on in." He nodded while holding the door open wider. Entering, his home was just as nice as every other within the gated community. However, that smell I always caught was so incredibly strong in his house. Was this the source?

"So, I brought the prompts. Any one you want to do in particular?" Digging into my bag, I searched for the paper. Brett and I didn't have the same English class, but it was okay for us to work together since both of our classes had been given the same assignment.

"I don't care." He replied while closing the door. "The living room's straight ahead." Nodding, I went into the large, open space with a TV still playing and sat on the couch while placing the assignment onto the coffee table. Brett took a seat next to me and I looked over the prompts.

"I can illustrate if you want." Glancing at him as I referred to the last prompt, I saw his jaw clench. "We can do this one if the other half suits you." Pointing, I watched his eyes barely look at the paper.

"Sure." His voice was still tense. Swallowing, I crossed my arms while leaning my elbows onto my knees.

"Look, Brett," I began. "I can tell something's wrong. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but I know it's more than Andie." His blue eyes snapped to me.

"You heard?"

"Uh, yeah." Looking to the floor, I raised my shoulders. "We're friends, so I wanted to help you, but I didn't know how. Especially when I saw something else was bothering you as well."

"Thank you." His voice was quiet. "But I'd like to work to get my mind off of it, if that's okay."

"No. No, it's fine." I shook my head. He picked up the paper to read it, then placed it back down before grabbing a pencil.

"I'll write the summary while you draw."

"Okay." Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my sketchbook and set to work as Brett began to dig through his backpack for some paper to write on. The atmosphere seemed to calm the longer we worked, so I stopped glancing up at Brett as I was drawing to check on him.

Time seemed to pass unnoticed as we worked in silence, and at one point I had kicked off my shoes and curled up on the couch with my sketchbook, focused on making the right lines on the paper. When I paused to stretch out my arms and legs, I glanced over as I was popping my knuckles and saw Brett looking at me.

"Come on, I want to show you something." He said, his voice calm as he rose to his feet. "Has the medicine been working?" Brett questioned as I stood to follow him.

"Yeah. I haven't had to hide in a supply closet or anything." Sliding my hands into my pockets, Brett lead the way into his kitchen. He turned to look at me, his shoulders not as tense as they had been before.

"Be honest, what do you think about who you are?"

"What?" Raising a brow, his question had come from no where.

"What I mean is, do you still think something's wrong with you? That what you are is more of a burden than a blessing?" He leaned on a counter near the refrigerator.

"Actually, I'm still not sure." Answering, I raised my shoulders while looking to the side.

"You may not have known about who you really are until now, but look." Raising my gaze, I watched as he opened the fridge. "If you did end up being able to fully turn, you'd only eat a little more meat than you used to." Brett explained as he showed me the contents in the refrigerator. It's light illuminated the kitchen and I skimmed over the shelves. Sure enough, it looked fairly normal save for some shelves being stocked with different cuts of meat from the store.

"Why are you telling me this?" My brows furrowed as I looked back at the blue eyed boy.

"I'm not quite done." He held up a hand as he closed the fridge and leaned off the counter before turning the corner.

"What do you mean you're not-" And I cut off as I turned around, seeing a large wolf stepping into view from where Brett had gone. "Holy shit." I mumbled, looking at the wolf that was staring back at me with it's golden yellow eyes.

"We're not monsters. Just....different." I somehow understood what he said as he sat down.

"Holy shit." I repeated, leaning on the island. "Holy shit, this is really real!" Covering my mouth as I looked at Brett, my brows furrowed. I mean, I knew it was real, but actually _seeing_ it kind of made that fact hit me.

Within me, somewhere inside of me, was the potential to be something so....beautiful. Brett was large, larger than the average wolf I had seen at the zoo, and his limbs looked built for power. His fur was thick and he had markings like a grey wolf, and his eyes were so predatorial but his humanity remained within their depths.

Even a werewolf, something I had been scared of becoming, was still a beautiful creature if they looked like what I was seeing. This. This was a part of me.

"Brett....I'm so sorry, but I have to go." I quickly said, tearing my eyes away. "I-I have to get some air."


	5. Gate 5

"I'm sorry if I freaked you out yesterday, but you forgot your bag." Turning on my heel, I saw Brett standing there, holding my backpack.

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that." Nervously smiling, I took my bag. "I didn't mean to rush out like that, but," I cleared my throat. "I, uh.... It was a lot to take in for me." His expression seemed to fall and I quickly grabbed his arm. "Thank you." Softly smiling as I lightly squeezed my hand, I saw his expression change again in the slightest. "You have no idea how much you've been a help for me." Pulling my hand back as I crossed my arms, I watched as his eyes glanced down to his arm.

"So you didn't get freaked out?"

"No, not at all. I just wish I could help you like you've helped me." Nervously shifting on my feet, Brett slid his hands into his pockets.

"Don't worry about it. You being there when I needed you to was enough." He chuckled and my heart fluttered. God, that smile and the way his eyes glittered had me in a trance....until the bell rang and he was off to first period after saying goodbye. Damn it.

~

"Any dizziness or nausea since you started taking the pills?" Peg asked as she held a light in my eyes. My contacts sat next to the sink in their container while I sat on the crinkly paper as I was being examined.

"Not at all."

"And your senses? How are those?"

"Back to how they were before." I replied as she placed the flashlight into her pocket and began to feel my throat just beneath my jaw. "As far as I can tell, the medicine is working."

"Good." Peg smiled. "Anything else different that you've noticed since you started taking them?"

"My reflexes aren't as good as they used to be." I told her.

"Mm, yes. That would be from the bit of sedative in there. Keeping your emotional state from the extremes helps keep your shifting under control so that everything else can work to keep you human looking." She explained. "Your reflexes being slower shouldn't effect you too much, but does it hinder your daily life?"

"No, not really." I shook my head. "Uh, but there's this one thing that hasn't gone away...." The doctor paused, dropping her hands from my neck as she looked at me.

"What is it?"

"A smell."

"What kind of smell?"

"It's hard to explain, like I told you last time, but I've been smelling it since a little bit after we moved here. I can't seem to really find where it's coming from, but...." My brows furrowed. "Actually, now that I think about it, it's stronger when Brett's around." Peg looked at me as if she was thinking while she sat down.

"What you're describing seems a bit familiar, but I'm not certain. Maybe it's your wolf recognizing it's own kind?" She said while clasping her hands together in her lap.

"Maybe." I shrugged.

"I can look into it, but while we're on that note, I talked to the local Alpha about your eyes." Peg looked right at me as she continued to speak. "He said that he had no idea why they are the way that they are, but it could be a genetic thing seeing as they lack pigment...." She shifted in her seat before going on. "You're parents, your biological ones, you haven't a clue who they are?"

"Not at all. Before the Monohans, I only had the orphanage." I told her honestly.

"Well, I'll keep looking into it. Would you mind if I took a blood sample to see if the answer is there?"

"Not at all. Take whatever you need if it could help you figure this out." Chuckling, I then rose my shoulders. "Honestly, though, I'm beginning to realize this isn't as bad as I first thought."

~

"Hi, um, is Brett home? He said he'd help me with my math homework...." I trailed off while looking at the blonde woman in the doorway. Her eyes seemed to scrutinize me before she opened the door wider and let me in.

"He's in his room. Upstairs and down to the right." Walking past her, I nodded.

"Thanks." Her gaze made me uncomfortable- maybe because she still didn't trust me? Whatever it was, I ignored it and headed upstairs. Swallowing the spit in my mouth, I made my way to Brett's room. Knocking on the door, there was an immediate reply.

"Come in." He called. Opening the door, I nervously smiled while waving.

"Hey! Ready to show me how to math?"

"Apparently I'll have to show you how to speak English as well." He chuckled while leaning back in his seat at his desk. "Come on in, I was just about to get to work on that." He waved me in as he shifted through the papers in front of him. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled his desk off of the wall and to the middle of the room. Brett then swung his chair to the other side and drug another chair from next to his bookcase to the desk. Sitting with his back towards the window, he gestured to the other seat for me to sit down.

"Thanks. Usually, I have Charlie help me, but he's got a study buddy over." Refraining from saying who it was, I tried to spare Brett's feelings.

"It's not a problem." He shook his head as I sat down. Grabbing my homework from my backpack, I set them onto the desk. "So, what part of it don't you get?"

"....Most of it...." I mumbled. Brett, a few seconds after, chuckled while shaking his head.

"Then lets get to it." Grabbing his pencil, he began to work on the first problem while showing me how to figure it out. Like before, time passed as we laughed and cracked jokes while getting through the homework together. Brett also seemed better now than he had when he and Andie had first broken up. His smile and his laugh would send my heart into a flurry as my stomach flipped, but the way his blue eyes glittered made me happy that I could at least witness his better mood, no matter how long it would last.

"Hey, aren't you listening?" Brett asked while waving a hand in front of my face. Shaking my head, I cleared my throat.

"Sorry, I dazed out. All of this math is getting to me." Rubbing my arm, I felt my cheeks turning pink since he had caught me staring at him. Running my thumb over my bracelet, something I hadn't done in a long while, I stared at my paper.

"Miki?" Brett said with a calm tone.

"Hm?" I hummed in question, not looking up from the math problems in front of me. Brett didn't say anything, but I felt him tilt my head up to look at him by my chin. The way the waning sunlight from the window surrounded him in a halo of light forced me to swallow the lump in my throat. The next thing I knew, my eyes were bulging open because he was leaning over the desk and kissing me.

_'Oh, I'm dreaming. Great, and I thought this was real.'_ I thought, but when I pinched myself to be sure, it actually hurt. From there, my mind blanked completely since Brett, the blue eyed beauty, was actually kissing me. When he pulled back since I had remained frozen, he had this look on his face as he averted his gaze.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know why I thought that would be a good idea. I wasn't really thinking, I'm-"

"Brett...." I cut him off while feeling my cheeks burn. "Could....could we try that again?"

"....Sure." And his smile returned as his soft lips touched mine again. My face felt like it was on fire as I tried to move my lips in sync with his, but that smell I had been drowning in suddenly got sweeter, making my chest tighten. Brett's hand on my chin brushed along my jaw before it grabbed onto the back of my neck on the base of my skull. On some strange impulse, I grabbed onto the front of his shirt and pulled him closer over the desk as he licked my bottom lip.

I could hear something that resembled a purr, but it sounded as if it was coming from within my chest....

Placing a hand onto the desk as I stood, I deepened the kiss as Brett slid his tongue into my mouth, matching the intensity. God, this was really happening....

"I made a snack for you two, I hope you like...." And the woman's voice trailed off as Brett and I quickly separated and looked towards the door. Brett's mother stood there with a rather surprised expression on her face. "I'll just leave them here." She cleared her throat while setting a tray down on his nightstand by the door.

Covering my mouth with my hand, my face was burning as I turned back towards Brett. Staring at the desk, I felt too embarrassed to look at him.

"I-I think I should, uh, I think I should go." Quickly stuffing my math homework into my backpack, Brett didn't make a move to stop me. "Um, thanks for the help....on the math." I added as I walked towards the door. Rubbing my thumb over my bracelet, I paused.

Fearless.

"Hold on," I turned on my heel, hurrying back to the desk. Giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek, I then rushed out of the room. "See you at school!"


	6. Gate 6

Digging through my locker for my textbook, I stuffed another one into it's place. Closing my locker, I glanced up to see Brett leaning on the lockers while softly smiling down at me. My cheeks went pink as I looked up at him, remembering our last encounter.

"So, Miki, how's your day been?"

"Uh, g-good. It's been good." Unconsciously rubbing my arm, I nervously looked away.

"Here, let me walk you to class." He leaned off of the lockers while gesturing with his head for me to start walking.

"You don't have to, it's-"

"Come on." He rolled his eyes while smiling. "I have a class in that direction anyways." Nudging my shoulder with his arm, I gulped while walking down the hall. "You seem nervous? Any reason why?"

"Well, the last time we saw each other, we did kind of....kiss....a lot." Lowering my head, I tried to hide my pink cheeks with my bangs.

"Hm, we did, didn't we?" There was a playful tone in his voice and I felt something brush against my hand. "So, since you gave me a little goodbye kiss as well, does that mean you like me?" Glancing down as we walked, I watched as his pinkie grabbed onto mine. My cheeks lit aflame as I had to look away.

"Maybe." I mumbled.

"Good." Brett said. "We'll talk later, okay?" He added as we reached my class.

"Okay." Glancing at him before he left, he was smiling at me. Sending him a soft smile in return, I ducked into class before anyone noticed.

~

"Brett, no!" I heard a familiar voice call before there was a crash and a thud. Turning the corner, I saw Brett tossing off his backpack as he was baring down on Charlie. Andie looked mortified and Brett swung a fist, barely missing as Charlie ducked. Without even thinking, I dropped my bag and ran at them, tackling Brett off of my brother.

Throwing a punch out of mere reflex, I watched as his head jerked to the side, hearing the kids in the hall gasping and hissing as if they had felt it as well. When he tried to push me off, I grabbed his wrists and pinned them to the floor as I sat on his chest. I didn't care if I was madly in love with him, if he hurt Charlie I was done with him.

Baring my teeth, I could feel a growl building deep in my chest as Brett was looking straight up at me. His blue eyes widened as if in shock and he struggled to get up.

"Miki, your eyes!" He hissed lowly. "And your claws." He winced. Feeling my jaws ache, I knew what was happening. Quickly getting off of him, I ran right past Charlie and snatched my bag off of the ground while trying to find some place to hide. This morning everything was fine, but then Brett was on Charlie and I had no idea what had even happened.

Slipping into a supply closet rather than the bathroom, I knew I'd be alone as I slammed the door shut behind me. Sliding down the door as I looked to the ceiling, I felt as if my emotions were overwhelming me while I held onto my backpack like a pillow. I sat there a good minute with my eyes simply closed as I tried to calm down, focusing on my breathing and heartbeat. The bell rang as I was leaning on the door in the dark.

"Miki...." There was a calm voice after a gentle knock.

"Go away." I snarled.

"Miki, open the door. No one's in the hall, it's okay."

"No, it's not."

"Let me in and I can explain everything."

"Explain why you were swinging a fist at my _human_ brother?"

"....Uh, yeah. Pretty much. Look, it's a bit complicated, so are you going to open the door or not so I can talk to you?" Taking in a breath through my nose, I didn't reply. "Miki, come on." His voice was pleading and I rolled my eyes, thinking I already might regret what I was about to do. Turning around, I cracked the door and backed away to let him in.

"Start talking." I said bluntly as soon as the door closed behind him. Brett sighed, then grabbed my wrist and yanked me into his arms, hugging me.

"Before you dig your claws into me, I was trying to talk to Andie. She's been acting strange lately and I was worried, but you're brother butted in and I kind of lost it. I've known Andie for years, so I was concerned and wanted to know what was wrong."

"You didn't have to try and punch Charlie." I mumbled, my voice muffled by his jacket.

"You're right, but I've been under a lot of stress lately and I took it out on him. He did technically steal my ex-girlfriend, you know." He replied.

"And what am I in all of this? Your rebound? Your revenge against Charlie?"

"God, no." His grip on me tightened and his voice got quieter. "You're like this little light glowing in the darkness- I was so scared to get any closer than I was in fear that you'd suddenly go out. I had Andie, and it was good, but I was afraid that I would break you. You seemed so frail, hiding yourself and cowering from others. I could tell you had been through a lot and I didn't want to be what ended you." The blue eyed boy explained. "I know you touch your bracelet whenever you're nervous or anxious and I know what it says. You need such a small thing to give you even the barest amount of confidence, but once your family is in danger, you forget who you are and that little light flares. I know you've never been close with anyone other than your family, and I'm so sorry I attacked your brother. I just wasn't thinking, but you, the frail girl sneaking from one place to another, knocked me flat on my ass." He chuckled.

"Brett, you're going to have to apologize to him as well." I said, feeling my face getting hotter. I tried to remain calm, but the simple fact that he paid enough attention to me to know about the bracelet said quite a bit, especially since my bracelet was usually covered by my jacket sleeve.

"....Do I have to?" He sort of pouted.

"Yes." Lifting my face to look at him, I saw his blue eyes looking right back. "And we'll be square once you do."

"I'll do whatever you want if that's what it takes." Brett mumbled while bringing his head down. His lips gently brushed across mine before he fully kissed me. "Now, we better get out of here before somebody gets suspicious." He lightly chuckled.


	7. Gate 7

"So you're one of us?" Lexie, a curly haired brunette, popped off as I sat across from Brett at lunch. The girl took a seat while a few others did as well, filling in the empty spots at the table outside.

"N-not quite...." I swallowed, feeling the intensity of her gaze as she looked me up and down.

"What do you mean, 'Not quite.' Either you are, or you aren't. Simple as that." She waved her hand while picking up her fork to eat her lunch.

"Uh, I'm, um...." Clearing my throat, I looked over at Brett and he simply smiled, giving me such a warm look as his blue eyes shined. "I'm a half-breed."

"Mm, close enough." She rose her eyebrows. "But it explains how you got the drop on both Lukas and Brett. I was so confused before, you know, since you don't really smell like us." She stabbed her fork into her meal.

"Guys, be nice. Miki's still getting used to this stuff." Brett said. "Where's Lukas by the way?"

"Left early to go see his father." Lexie sighed.

"Wait....is Lukas the Alpha?" I questioned as my brows furrowed.

"Nah, his old man is. But Lukas acts as Alpha to us." Another guy at the table piped in. Looking around, I made sure no one was close by before leaning onto the table.

"So....would any of you know what an Alpha might or might not know?"

"....Depends. Why?" Lexie gave me a suspicious look. Swallowing, I glanced to Brett again before reaching up to my face.

"Dr. Peg told me that every hybrid has something strange about them, whether it be sharper than average teeth, a tail, markings, or even eye color, some part of their wolf shows because it could never be fully hidden. But, for some reason, even my difference is too different and Peg talked to the Alpha about it and he said he had no idea about it." Taking out one of my contacts, I blinked a few times before looking up. "Do any of you know why my eyes are like this?"

The table was silent for a good minute as they stared at me.

"That's wicked...." Lexie mumbled, but none of them knew any more than their Alpha did about my eyes.

~

"What are these?" My head jerked up at my dad's voice as soon as I walked into the house. His brows were furrowed and in his hand was the bottle of pills Dr. Peg had given me. Wrapping the towel around me tighter, I had just come in from the pool and it was already dark outside. "Better yet, when did you go to the doctor?"

"Dad, it's just for allergies. They have some plants here that they didn't in Chicago." I quickly said.

"Don't lie to me." His voice was sharp as he set the bottle down onto the counter. "I know what they're for." He crossed his arms while looking right at me. No one was around- it was only Dad and I in the room.

"I-"

"Miki....I _know_." He said, his tone slightly different than before, letting me know that he actually did.

"How?" I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

"I had to figure out who brutally injured a man and left him in a yard to die, only to figure out that it was a boy protecting his mother."

"And because of your detective skills, you found out in between that, didn't you?"

"Yes." He sighed. "Yes, I did. They were trying to get me to calm down and your name popped up. Now, tell me, what are these for and answer honestly. I want to hear it from you." Dad glanced to the pill bottle before looking back at me.

"They keep me as human as possible. They keep me from changing in the middle of class or in public when I'm under extreme stress." I hugged myself since I had hoped to completely avoid this conversation all together.

"Who did it?" He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What?"

"Who turned you? Isn't that how it works?" He raised his brows while waving his hand.

"Dad...." I ran my thumb over where my bracelet would be, and the action didn't go unnoticed by the sharp eyed man.

"What is it?"

"Dad, I was....I was born this way." His expression changed dramatically. "It's why my eyes are the way they are. It's why I'm so different. It's why this place is the best thing that could have happened to me. I started turning in school, but there was someone there to help who knew what I was going through and they got me the help I needed to figure out why it was happening. I'm safe here, and if I had been anywhere else, Dad, I would be on a silver table rather than talking to you right now if a bullet wasn't put into my head." I said, running a hand through my still wet hair. "I don't know if it was fate or what, but me being here helped me understand that I'm not a freak or a monster, I'm something much more than that."

"When you say turned....what do you mean?" Dad looked like he was having a hard time digesting what I was saying.

"I would grow claws, fangs, and my eyes would glow. That's as far as it's gotten so far."

"It goes even further?!"

"All the way to wolf." I stated. "But Dr. Peg said I would only fully turn if I didn't come to terms with what was making me turn to begin with." Omitting the other option, I knew Dad wouldn't handle the other way very well....

"What was it?"

"Stress, mostly." I shrugged.

"Was the move that bad?" His brows knit together.

"No, Dad, not that kind of stress."

"Could you talk plainly, please? I may be great at the detective stuff, but the supernatural is _not_ my forte."

"What kind of stress do most teenagers go through that I haven't until now?" His expression showed confusion before it finally bloomed on his face that he understood.

"Do you have a boyfriend?!" His voice rose. "Look, finding out you're a werewolf was enough for one day, but you have a boyfriend to top it off? You know what, never mind. I'm going to bed. We'll talk about it some other time." Dad sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose as he walked away.

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I knew he wouldn't be happy to find out who it was either....


	8. Gate 8

Walking through the halls, I was surrounded by those kids from the pack and it was so strange for me to be in such a group of people. I didn't know whether I should be happy or overwhelmed or what, but I did know that I liked how Brett would casually just hold my pinky with his own. He only did what I was comfortable with, and he knew my face would turn as red as a tomato if he ever completely held my hand.

Even so, it became known around school who I was because of the group hanging around me. Before, no one really knew my name, but kids were now saying it regularly in class when they had to ask me something during a project or anything. I didn't really like it that much, but there was no way to turn it back to where people didn't talk to me at all....

~

"Andie, are you okay?" I muttered as I walked up to the girl. She was pale and looked so out of it that I doubted she should even be in school.

"I'm-I'm fine." She tried to smile, but it was weak. Whenever I saw her with Charlie, she was so bright and cheerful, so when Brett had said she was acting strangely, I could only assume this was what he meant.

"Whoa, hold on!" I quickly shot my hand out to keep her from falling. Her jaw clenched and I glanced around. She was cold to the touch and I knew she shouldn't be around all of the people in the hallway. Leading her to an empty room, I let her lean on a desk. "Andie, what's wrong?"

"You shouldn't be me near." She waved her hand before her brows furrowed. "I mean, near me. You-you shouldn't be near me."

"Have you seen Dr. Peg?" I questioned, watching as her eyes seemed to come in and out of focus. "She, um, she can help with a lot of things, you know."

"It's fine, just leave me alone. You can't be near me." Grabbing her wrist as she tried to push me away, I saw dark veins traveling up her arm towards her hand.

"Andie....are you-"

"Get away!" She jerked her hand away, trying to hide it as she leaned on the table.

"What's going on?" Looking to the door, I saw Brett looking between Andie and I with a confused expression.

"She's different, isn't she? What's wrong with her?" My voice was firm as I questioned him. His jaw clenched as he glanced to Andie after he closed the door back behind him.

"You know?" The girl looked at me with furrowed brows.

"Some." I nodded.

"Miki, could you go? I can take care of this...." Brett said calmly and I shot him a glare, causing him to tense since I had rarely ever given him the look I was now.

"How can you help? What's wrong with her?" I asked, but no one would look at me or answer. "Is it why you left Charlie?" Focusing on the girl in front of me, I read her body language as she hugged herself. Then, it seemed to click. "Charlie never had mono, did he? Every time he fainted....that was you, wasn't it?"

"It wasn't her fault!" Brett quickly said, taking a step towards us.

"What did you do to him!" I snarled, slamming my hands down onto the table on either side of her, trapping her there. She flinched, looking close to tears as I didn't move a muscle.

"I'm sorry...." She whimpered. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Miki, back off. I said it wasn't her fault." Brett was getting defensive, but I had to know.

"How did it happen?" I then asked, studying her face closely. "Was it a touch?" Her face slightly shifted. "A kiss?" And that was what made the first tear fall as her brows pulled together.

"Come on, don't do this now, Miki." Brett said as he was stepping closer.

"You're sick because you haven't fed, am I right?" My voice was calmer as I was getting a good idea about what Andie may be. "Succubus." Her eyes snapped to me and her expression told me everything. Dana wasn't the only kid that had gotten some of Dad's detective skills. "Brett, you were planning on letting her feed off of you, weren't you?" I didn't even look at him, still focused on Andie.

"....I can't stand to see her like this."

"Fine." And I grabbed the back of Andie's head as I kissed her. I knew if it was me it wouldn't matter, she had no feelings other than friendship towards me, but if her getting better made Brett and undoubtedly Charlie happy, I was willing to let the girl feed off of me.

The first second she tried to push me away, but her hunger was too strong as she grabbed the front of my shirt to feed. Her cold skin began to warm up while I, on the other hand, felt like a bucket of ice was being dumped on me. I could feel my heart racing as my claws dug into the desk just before Andie quickly pushed me back.

Coughing for air as I hit the ground, I heard Brett shout before he was hovering over me with a worried expression. Groaning, within seconds my body temperature was back to normal and I was sitting up while panting. Andie already looked better than before, having color in her cheeks again.

"Now," I swallowed. "be more careful." Brett helped me to my feet as I looked at the girl. "If you get too hungry, you might feed off of anyone just to survive." Andie only looked at me with an expression of shock as my claws were regressing along with my fangs. Well, at least now I knew what had happened between Charlie and her.

~

My phone vibrated in my pocket as I sat at my desk doing my homework. Pulling it out and checking the message, I saw that it was from Brett.

_**'Thanks for helping Andie. That must have taken a lot.'** _

_**'If it makes my brother happy, of course I would do it.'**_ I replied. A minute passed before my phone went off again.

_**'Wanna study together?'**_

_**'Sure. Be there in a bit.'**_ I smiled softly at my phone before I began to stack up my papers. My head suddenly jerked to the side because of a knock on my window. Hanging off of the window sill was Brett, waving one hand as he was goofily smiling. Quickly getting up to open my window, I could hardly believe he was actually hanging off of the window sill.

"Brett, what the Hell are you doing? There's a front door!" I said as he rolled into the room with his backpack on.

"We always study at my house." He replied while shrugging. "It's your turn to host." Sighing, I had to close my eyes for a good second.

"Okay, whatever. Come on." I chuckled. "We can do it in the kitchen." Grabbing my bag, pencil, and papers, I headed into the hall. "But next time, use the front door. The window makes it seem like a bad Rom Com." Chuckling again, I lead the way to the kitchen.

"So, what all do you have done?" He asked.

"Everything except that English report and science." Setting my bag down and taking a seat, I picked up my pencil while looking down at the science homework.

"Mm, I thought math would have been your last one since you hate it." Brett sat next to me while pulling out his homework.

"Got it done at school so I wouldn't have to worry about it at home."

"Miki? Who are you talking-" And in walked Mom, her eyes immediately landing on Brett as her expression showed shock. Then, her lips pulled up into a smile and I let my forehead hit the counter. "Oh, you have a friend over!" Her voice had that excited tone in it as she entered the kitchen. "Did you even offer your guest a drink?"

"No." Brett answered as he chuckled. I could feel his gaze on me and I already knew Mom would bug me about Brett after he left.

"Well, would you like anything?"

"No, ma'am." Mom shot me a smile since Brett had used actual manners.

"So, are you going to introduce us, Miki?" Mom leaned on a counter while crossing her arms.

"Uh...." Clearing my throat, I glanced at the blue eyed boy who looked just as amused as my mother. "Mom, this is Brett. Brett, this is my mom."

"It's nice to meet you, Brett." Mom nodded her head. "How long have you two been dating?" She pointed at both of us and my head hit the counter again. "What? If you're going to try and hide it, don't sit so close to each other. Plus, Miki _never_ brings anyone home. Wanna stay for dinner?" _'Oh, dear God, Mom, why?!'_

~

"So...." Dad finally broke the awkward silence at the dinner table, giving Brett a not-so-nice look. "you're on the football team, right?"

"Uh, not anymore, sir." He replied and the air felt so tense and electrified. Charlie was casting occasional glares in Brett's direction while Dana was narrowing her eyes at him and trying to figure him out.

"Why's that?"

"A disagreement between the coach and myself. It's water under the bridge now, but I'm remaining off of the team to focus more on my studies."

"I see." And Dad was rolling his fork in his hand. "All right, I'm not going to beat around the bush." He sighed, dropping his silverware onto his plate before he crossed his arms. "Are you Miki's boyfriend?" I felt my cheeks burst into flames.

"Dad!" I gave him a look, but his expression remained firm.

"Yes, sir." Brett answered and my head hit the table with a loud thud. Dear lord, was this embarrassing....

Surprisingly, though, the rest of dinner was rather civil. Well, save for Charlie's glares and Dana popping off with how Brett was a smart choice since he had good genetics and a symmetrical face....


End file.
